The Daily Economy
President Trump Slaps a Tariff on Canada
“Canadian Bacon” is a mid-1990s satire of U.S. politics. In the film, the president tries to boost the economy by starting a war with Canada. The opening salvo involves Bud […]
Teachers Are Students at Our Workshops
AIER’s Teach-the-Teachers Initiative (TTI) is a multiday program that provides high school teachers in various disciplines with understanding of economic concepts. The novelty of the program is the Economics-Across-the-Curriculum approach, […]
New Home Sales Rise as Consumer Confidence Ticks Down
Last week, the National Association of Realtors reported a healthy gain in sales of existing single-family homes for March. Today, the Commerce Department reported that sales of new single-family homes […]
Growth in the Money Supply Will Likely Push Inflation Higher
In the long run, growth in the money supply will likely cause inflation, meaning a decline in the dollar’s purchasing power. Following the Great Recession, the Federal Reserve undertook unprecedented […]
A Look Ahead to Friday’s 1Q GDP Report
The Commerce Department will release its first estimate of first quarter 2017 gross domestic product on Friday, April 28. Estimates of the growth rate for GDP vary widely leading up […]
Fixing Too Big to Fail
Regulators misdiagnosed the causes of the 2007–8 financial crisis when they blamed private sector greed and largely ignored the role of government policy, which in fact laid the groundwork for […]
How Much Does Trade Affect Employment?
How much does import competition affect U.S. jobs? We at AIER have always argued for the benefits of free trade, but it is still worth understanding what happens to those […]
Could Gold-Backed Digital Currency Conquer Fiat Money?
A freely traded digital currency backed by gold may be just around the corner. This week, at the MIT Technology Review’s Business of Blockchain conference, I heard Sandra Ro of […]
“The Business of Blockchain”
Even though blockchain applications are in their infancy, the technology is here to stay.
Transfer Payments Tend to Discourage Labor Force Participation
The labor force participation rate began a gradual decline after peaking in the spring of 2000. If the decline is to be reversed, we may need to reassess federal transfer […]
Teach-the-Teachers Program Is Showcased in Boston
AIER’s founder Col. E.C. Harwood encouraged “the educational aspects of the Institute’s work to be specifically aimed at teachers.” In addition, Harwood was interested in integrating John Dewey’s approaches to […]
Home Builder Confidence Declines Slightly but Remains at a High Level
The National Association of Home Builders released its April survey of home builders this morning. The survey is designed to take the pulse of the single-family housing market. The survey […]
